Help with making trains louder

  • If you're asking a question make sure to set the thread type to be a question!

Scampi

L4: Comfortable Member
Feb 8, 2017
186
151
Hello again. I've been testing my subterranean koth map for awhile, and it features minecarts that travel along rails to help balance powerful high ground areas. The problem is, feedback always states that they are too quiet.
I've cranked up the sound on the func_train entity to maximum, and installed multiple loud alarms along the rails. During singleplayer testing they seem loud enough, but in combat the noise gets drowned out quickly.

What are some easy ways to make my minecarts louder?
 

henke37

aa
Sep 23, 2011
2,075
515
Check the soundscript entries for the sounds. You are using a soundscript, right?
 

Scampi

L4: Comfortable Member
Feb 8, 2017
186
151
Check the soundscript entries for the sounds. You are using a soundscript, right?

I uuhhh, don't know what a soundscript is. The sound file I'm using is: ambient/machines/train_wheels_loop1.wav
 

henke37

aa
Sep 23, 2011
2,075
515
And there's your problem.

A soundscript basically defines some additional data for the sound, such as the mixer channel and the loudness at playback. Only sloppy and lazy mappers skip them since some of the additional data is kinda useful.
 

Idolon

they/them
aa
Feb 7, 2008
2,105
6,106
And there's your problem.

A soundscript basically defines some additional data for the sound, such as the mixer channel and the loudness at playback. Only sloppy and lazy mappers skip them since some of the additional data is kinda useful.

a lazy mapper is someone who never publishes a map
 

Crash

func_nerd
aa
Mar 1, 2010
3,315
5,499
Depending on how you are doing it, you can probably just double up the ambient generic and have it play on top of itself to get more volume the easy way. I've done this a bunch for playing audio and it's effective and efficient.


Only sloppy and lazy mappers skip them since some of the additional data is kinda useful.
For someone who seems to mostly only have theoretical knowledge of the engine, you sure make a lot of assumptions about how everyone else has to operate, and get hung up doing things the "right" way (and demanding others do the same.) Lighten up.
 

Scampi

L4: Comfortable Member
Feb 8, 2017
186
151
Well hey, now I sorta know what soundscripts are. I've gotten decent results without using them before, but my sound applications at the time didn't need anything special. I used the default train soundscript for my minecarts and the volume issue is solved, however there is no soundscript for the raw sound file I actually want to use. Am I out of luck, or can I somehow make my own?

*edit*
Guess what? I need help with more ambient_generic voodoo crap. I've been trying to wrangle an alarm system for my train for hours, I've looked at tutorials and everything. As soon as a looping ambient_generic is activated, I can't seem to get it to stop. No matter what kind of output I set to shut it up (trigger volume, train passing a point, timer, etc.), nothing works. No errors, so I'm told.
 
Last edited:
Mar 23, 2013
1,013
347
You can make your own soundscript. Take the you used before, change the name and the soundfile, (and other settings if u like) and paste the script into a txt file. The file should be in root/maps and name it MAPNAME_level_sounds.txt
If you dont change the name of the soundscrpit it will override stock soundscripts while playing this map.

If you want help with your ambient generic tell us what its purpose is and screenshot its properties and flags, cos the entity has plenty of bugs.
 
Last edited:

puxorb

L69: Emoticon
aa
Dec 15, 2013
531
798
What Crash said. Make like 2-3 ambient_generics all with the same name and sound. Set their sound origin point to be the train entity. This should work, hopefully.